5 Surprises About Moving to the Big City

Most young people (myself included) have a very glamorous image of moving to the big city after graduation. I can only assume that this is sparked by various television shows (Sex and the City, anyone?). So many (myself included) move to one of those big cities to see what they might find. And I mut admit, it has been fantastic so far. I can't see myself anywhere else at the start of my career. But there are definitely disadvantages. Here are a few things that caught me a bit off guard when about my new city life.
1. Transportation. I love not having a car. I feel good about taking public transportation, and it ultimately saves me money. No car payment, insurance, maintenance or repair - just one easy unlimited pass for $75 a month. But sometimes it's so inconvenient - waiting in the cold for the train or bus, standing the whole way in huge crowds, not being able to drive to pick up larger items (we wanted a Christmas tree this year, but there's no practical way to get one).
2. Noise. This wasn't entirely unexpected, but it is really noisy sometimes. Of course I live in Wrigleyville, so I may have had it a little worse than others during Cubs season.
3. Everything Takes Longer. It's a big city, which means there's a lot of ground to cover. If I have a few errands, they could take up an entire evening as I hop from one location to the next to find what I need. I had to go to three separate stores tonight to find everything on my shopping list. No Super Walmart here.
4. It's expensive! Again, maybe not quite so unexpected - but you do get used to paying a higher price for just about everything. I didn't realize how much I had adapted to this until I went back to Michigan and I was commenting on how inexpensive everything was.
pepper spray for my key chain, and I have had some uncomfortable moments. Just the other night I was walking about two blocks from a restaurant to the subway and a man started following me (looking for money), and he wouldn't leave me alone until I went down to the subway. Today, I carried my laundry to the apartment laundry room, only to find this note on the door.